| The Byzantine period has left clear marks on Naxos: | | | | power continued to be held by the Venetians, given |
| some five hundred churches and monasteries of all | | | | that the only interest the Ottoman Empire displayed |
| possible styles and types, with excellent wall-paintings, | | | | was in collecting its taxes once a year. |
| icons, friezes, inscriptions and so on. Early Christian | | | | Very few Turks settled on Naxos, particularly after the |
| churches have been built on the remains of ancient | | | | 17th century. Those who did settle lived with the |
| temples, and during the iconoclastic period churches on | | | | constant fear of the Greek and Western pirates who |
| Naxos were decorated without the use of icons. | | | | infested the area and preyed exclusively on Turks. |
| Caves thought in ancient times to be the haunts of | | | | This terror of capture and slaughter led the Turks of |
| nymphs and gods were also converted into Christian | | | | Naxos to sell up and move out, and so when the War |
| shrines, and when the pirates began to ravage the | | | | of Independence started in 1821 the only Turk on the |
| islands, the monasteries were fortified to keep them | | | | island was a clerk, who sailed away in a little boat as |
| out. | | | | soon as the first vague rumours of an uprising rea |
| It is believed by many scholars that in Byzantine times | | | | ched the island. The centuries of Turkish rule on Naxos |
| the centres of life on Naxos were in the | | | | have thus left very few traces; a few place names, |
| Tragaia-Apano Kastro and Sangri-Kastro t' Apalirou | | | | and a ruined fountain, the Aga's fountain', on the road |
| regions (as far as Ayiasos Bay). | | | | from Hora to Engares. It was built by Hasan Aga, |
| The plain of Sangri, with its scores of little churches, | | | | glorious voivode of Naxos on 26 June 1759 to ensure |
| has been described as a smaller version of Mystras in | | | | himself of the eternal gratitude of thirsty travellers. The |
| the Peloponnese. Inscriptions have revealed that | | | | period of Turkish rule was a fruitful one for the building |
| before 1080 Naxos was the seat of the provincial | | | | of churches and schools, such as the Monasteries of |
| governor controlling one third of the 'theme' - | | | | Panayia (Our Lady) Faneromeni and of Ayios |
| administrative unit - of the Aegean, named Nikitas, and | | | | Chrysostomos, the cathedral church in Hora and the |
| of other senior officials. Naxos was the see of a | | | | church of Ayia Kyriaki, the Ayios Georgios Grotta |
| bishop and, after 1088, of a metropolitan bishop. On a | | | | school in Hora (where Chrysanthos of Aetolia, brother |
| local and provincial level at least, Naxos must have | | | | of the 18th-century missionary Kosmas the Aetolian, |
| been quite an important place during the Byzantine | | | | was among the teachers), of Ayios Eleutherios at |
| period. In 1207 (only three years after the fall of | | | | Sangri, the Ursuline School and the Commercial School |
| Byzantium to Western raiders) Marco Sanudo of | | | | in the Kastro. The islanders of Naxos often rose in |
| Venice captured the Cyclades and set up the Duchy | | | | rebellion against their Venetian and Turkish overlords. In |
| of Naxos, otherwise known as the Duchy of the | | | | August 1595, for instance, a daring plot to throw off |
| Aegean, with Naxos as its headquarters. It would | | | | the Turkish yoke was hatched on Naxos by |
| seem that Sanudo landed on Naxos at Ayiasos and | | | | representatives of fifteen islands. There were further |
| captured the Kastro t' Apalirou (the Byzantine centre | | | | uprisings in 1563, 1643, 1670 and 1681, but the most |
| of the island) after a 40-day resistance by the | | | | important were those of the 18th century. These |
| islanders. Sanudo went on to build his own castle, the | | | | uprisings centred around the Politis family and their |
| Kastro, at Hora on the site of the ancient acropolis. He | | | | fortified house at Akadimi in the plain of Tragaia (a |
| divided Naxos into 56 estates, which he shared out | | | | building which today belongs to the Papadakis family). |
| among his officers. They in turn built their own | | | | Markakis Politis, builder of the house and leader of the |
| fortresses on the most suitable site of each estate. | | | | 'Community of Villages,' fought the conquerors |
| The Duchy of Naxos continued to be a considerable | | | | constantly from 1770 to 1802. He was the terror of the |
| power for over three hundred years, until 1564. In that | | | | Venetians and the idol of the Greeks. |
| year Naxos came under Turkish rule, but the reins of | | | | |